The Red Shoebox
by truecolors264
Summary: People would overlook it. I mean, it was just a shoebox in the back of a closet. He almost did too. But, he didn't. And he's glad he found it. - Auslly One-Shot. Enjoy!


**(A/N: Just thought of a cute idea for a one-shot. I liked the idea, so I thought I would write it. I referenced to all the A&A episodes that have premiered so far (besides the Jessie Crossover). Please enjoy!)**

**Austin's POV**

I walked through the doors of Sonic Boom, and saw my partner scribbling in that book of her's. I would die to get a peak. But we all know what happened last time… so…

I strutted over to her and stared down into her doe eyes. They were really big. I blinked, trying to keep a hold of myself.

You're dating Kira.

Stop thinking about Ally.

Ally Dawson.

It has been killing me since the practice date. Ally was kind enough to help me plan a date for Kira, so we played it out. But the thing was, I enjoyed that practice date more than I should have. I went through the date with Kira, and it went terrible. And when we went to Dez's place for pancakes and video games, I couldn't help but think that the practice date was better than what the real thing was.

It's crazy. I can't like Ally Dawson; she's my partner.

My super attractive, down to earth, adorkable, funny, awesome, honest partner.

No Austin. No. Kira is your girlfriend, and you like her a lot.

"Hey Ally," I squeaked, trying to look as natural as possible. But she noticed; curse her amazing ability to read my mind. "Are you okay Austin?" she asked, concern written across her gaze. I had to cover quickly. "Yeah, just thinking about my amazing date!" I breathed, my face tensing up.

My amazing _practice _date.

I swear I saw her shoulders slump. "Oh," she sighed, turning back to her book. "Um… I thought we could work on a new song," I said, curious by her sudden change of mood. She perked up a little and said, "Sure! Let me just finish my shift! I should be done in like, thirty minutes. Why don't you just wait up in the practice room?"

I nodded and walked up the stairs, my heartbeat slowing down a little.

God damn it, Ally Dawson.

I opened the door to the practice room and walked in, plopping lazily on the piano bench. I figured I better get started on my own. I played random chords on the piano, but nothing was working. I sighed, frustrated, and dropped my hands from the keys.

Maybe we could write a song with the guitar…

I got up and walked over to the storage closet. I swung open the door and strolled inside, searching for a guitar. I found an old acoustic one and picked it up. There was some dust on it, so I blew it off. Some got in my mouth, causing me to cough. I coughed so hard that I fell to my knees, breathing heavily. My knee hit something, and I looked down.

It was an old shoe box. A red one. It was rather large, but not too big.

I picked it up, and my eyes widened as I scanned the top.

In sharpie, the words _Austin and Ally _were scrawled across the top.

I blinked, and then stood up with the box in my hands. I walked out of the closet and shut the door, breathing quickening. I sat on the floor and set the box in front of me.

Why did she have a box with our names on the top?

I took my shaky hands and lifted the top off, revealing many various items. I carefully took out an item, and examined it carefully.

It was an Austin Doll. I smiled at the memory of the day that Dez and I made the first one ever. That was before Ally and I were even partners. She had burst through the door of my room when I was sweating my clothes off. She had scolded me for stealing her song. I didn't have a clue where the song came from, but it was in my head, and I just assumed I came up with it.

I didn't.

Trish had insisted on an Austin Doll before she left, because she was a fan. I gave her one, and I guess this was the one.

I placed it next to me on the ground and pulled out the next thing out of the box.

It was a small piece of caramel wrapped in plastic wrap. I remembered the day we made these. Dez thought that Ally's song had the word caramel in it, so he made a giant bucket. Ally refused to let the caramel go to waste, so she said that we should wrap it up in tiny pieces and give it away complementary with any instruments the store sold. She told us to meet at Sonic Boom that night to wrap the pieces of candy together.

Dez didn't make it because he had to 'feed his pet giraffe', and Trish didn't want to, so she didn't show. It was just me and Ally, and honestly, it was one of the most fun nights of my life. It was the first time me and Ally spent time together without Dez and Trish, and we talked and got to know each other. I ended up with caramel stuck in my hair, but it didn't matter. I had so much fun with Ally, and I actually saw us becoming not just great music partners, but friends as well.

I put the small piece of caramel down next to the doll and pulled out the next object.

It ended up being a small tube of lipstick. I chuckled at the thought of it. That was the lipstick that Ally used to kiss the life-sized dummy of me when she was trying to get revenge on me for reading her book. She claimed she was 'practicing sucking snake poison out' of me if I ever got bit by a rattlesnake. I shuddered at the thought of me being orange and sweaty. Gross…

I examined the lipstick again and thought of it on Ally. It really compliments her big, full lips. I have always wondered how those lips tasted…

Kira, Austin! Kira…

I set the lipstick down and reached my hand into the box. I pulled out a broken blue crayon. I smiled, not helping it. I remember when Ally claimed she had colored outside the lines, but she didn't. She's way to rule-driven to do something like that. So I helped her a little bit, breaking her crayon in the process. She's so different from me, yet I feel the best around her.

I liked the way her hand felt against mine. It sent tingles up my arm, and I am not ashamed to admit it. It was so small against mine, and I liked it.

But, you know, Kira's hands are great too…

I took another item out of the box. It appeared to be the picture of me with broccoli in my teeth that H8ter Grl got a hold of somehow. I hated that girl. How dare she try and force Ally to face her biggest fear? It's not okay. She was mental too. She threw a fit after I sang in the place of Ally. It got a million hits on YouTube.

The next thing I pulled out was a fake dollar with the artist Shiny Money in the place of the president. That was from the concert that I performed at the Miami Internet Music Awards. Shiny Money had thrown this fake money everywhere. I remembered going to it without any of my friends, and kind of wishing I brought Ally. I brought a picture of her, but it wasn't the same.

Why did she keep this piece of fake money?

I shake it off and take the next thing out of the box. It was a pink IPod Nano, the one Demonica Dixen had thrown in the trash, without listening to Ally's song. I don't know why I ever thought of her over my friends. Maybe it was just the fame getting to me.

The next item I took out of the box was a gold bracelet. I looked at it closely, trying to understand why it looked familiar. I felt like it was one of the best pieces of jewelry I have ever seen, but I don't understand why. I mean, it was just a simple gold bracelet. But there was something about it. It reminded me of Ally… Ally in a red dress…

Of course! Ally wore this bracelet on the night of Trish's Quinceanera!

That was a great night.

Yes, I had a broken foot. Yes, all Trish's presents got destroyed. Yes, I never got booked in a bunch of night clubs. Yes, Dez ruined my grand entrance.

But I danced with Ally.

I felt something. That was the first day that I started to feel funny around Ally. I didn't know what it was, but it felt good. I just felt better when I was around her. I wanted to hug her more often. I started to dream about her.

I think I am starting to understand what that feeling was.

But I have Kira. Kira; the girl that makes me happy.

Yet…

Ally makes me happier.

I set the bracelet down, deep in thought. I reached into the box and pulled out a CD in a case. I read the label. Written in black sharpie, it read _You Don't See Me._

I smiled softly. Ally's song. I wanted to make her feel good because of the feeling she was giving me. I thought that playing her song on the radio would make me look like a nice guy. I didn't expect that Miami Mack would want her to come for an interview live. I just wanted to make her feel happy.

Like she made me.

I set the CD down next to the items that had started to pile up on the floor. The thing I pulled out next was a stop watch. I remember using this. Dez was trying to break the world record for not blinking, but he only made it eight seconds. Ally was staring at Dallas. I remember feeling a weird feeling then. Not like the usual feeling I felt around Ally. It was not pleasant. I wanted to stomp over to Dallas and knock him unconscious.

If I didn't know any better, I would have thought it was jealousy.

But, it can't be. I can't like Ally Dawson. Why would I like Ally Dawson?

Maybe because she's talented, smart, kind-hearted, loving, honest, beautiful, lovely, and perfect all wrapped up in one…

Why does she have to be so perfect?

I pulled out a ski mask. I laughed as I remembered Ally in the ice cream freezer, freezing her tiny butt off. I wanted to hold her to keep warm, but stupid Trish gave her the mask before I could say something. I stroked the side of the mask, imagining Ally's perfect face being covered by it.

Kira is pretty too.

Just…

Ally is…

Different.

I took out a piece of paper covered front and back with about three hundred tiny gold stars. I laughed as I remembered me and Ally carefully picking off the gold starts off Ally's uniform for Sally's Soups. She didn't want to get rid of them, so we spent a couple hours putting them on a piece of paper. It was fun, just the two of us.

The next thing I took out was a planner. The same planner which I got Ally to fill in the dates for our work days. I frowned at the memory of me neglecting her to go to a Bruno Mars concert. Why would I do that? She's so much better.

I open the book out of curiosity and see Ally's neat, cursive handwriting written on the dates. As I studied it further, I realize that I have hung out with Ally Dawson for like, every day for the past year. I smile to myself, thinking of her and me for that long.

I take out a spatula from the box. I was confused at first to why it was in the box, but then realization hits me. When Ally was flipping pancakes the morning of the say we bought a MyTab, this was the spatula she used. I remember those pancakes.

They were good.

She always made the best pancakes.

Better than Kira's.

The next thing he pulled out was a small umbrella. You know, like the ones people put in smoothies to make them look cool? Yeah, one of those. I remember this umbrella. It was in the drink Ally pulled out from under the desk when I told her about my fear. I was so afraid of it.

Weird times…

If it weren't for her, I would still be afraid of umbrellas, and people would probably think I was really weird. I am grateful she didn't think it was weird, and she helped me through it.

And to tell you the truth, it was more embarrassing when Ally saw me in my underwear than when a couple of cheerleaders saw. She's more important.

There was also a napkin from the Melody Diner. Now, that was a weird time. I never really liked Cassidy that much, but at the time, I had started to become more aware of the feelings Ally gave me. I wanted to see how Ally would react if I took a liking to another girl.

The sad thing was, she supported me and Cassidy. She tried so hard to get us together.

Just like she supports me and Kira.

Which is good; I like Kira, a lot.

Me and Ally are just… friends.

And that's ok.

Not great, but okay.

I pulled out a calculator next. I chuckled at the memory of Ally during the summer. She thought the only way to have fun was to study calculus. She had even brought her calculator on the trip to Shiny Money's boat house. People would think that to be weird, but I think she's just quirky.

And adorkable.

I also feel like she wasn't afraid to show who she was. I feel like most girls hide themselves behind who they think they should be, not who they are. Kira kind of does it too.

Ally's different.

Ally's special.

Those words keep replaying in my head.

Ally's special.

If Ally's special, than why am I going out with Kira?

I didn't really have a good answer for that.

I set the calculator down next to the vast amount of items next to me. I pick out a paper crown with the words _Moon's Mattress Kingdom _written across the top. I smile and think of Ally with her cheesy British accent, pretending to kiss a frog.

I remember how my heart leaped when she said Princess Ally.

I mean, I was Prince Austin.

But she didn't mean it that way. She just wanted to try to be a resident of the Moon's Kingdom.

But, that doesn't mean I didn't want her to mean it that way.

The next item I take out was a MUNY acceptance letter. My smile faltered as I thought about how I almost lost Ally. I should've told her I was happy for her in the practice room the day she told us. I was just in so much shock, and I seriously thought that I wouldn't be able to continue without her. And I'm not just talking about music.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to me.

One day, I will have to say goodbye to Ally. I mean, she will probably go off to college somewhere, and then we will be separated.

I don't want to say goodbye to Ally. I want her by my side forever.

Wait, did I just imply that I want to get married to Ally?

As I thought about this, I realized, I wasn't that freaked out by the thought of me and Ally spending our lives together.

And that's weird.

I set the MUNY acceptance letter down next to all the other stuff, and reach in the box once again. I pull out a pink mask, and immediately recognized it as Galexis Nova's mask.

The same one Ally wore when she performed with me for the first time.

I smiled at the memory. I have always gotten a rush from performing, but with Ally, it was different.

There was SO much adrenalin, but at the same time, a sense of calmness.

It was amazing.

Impeccable.

Indescribable.

The second best feeling in the world.

The first, being of course, the feeling Ally gave me in the pit of my stomach.

I never really cared about Kira, did I?

I was just blind.

I mean, Kira is great, but Ally is better.

I pulled out a cup from Mini's. My heart lurched. Ally drank from that cup the day we had guessed that Trish and Dez were dating. Ally had absentmindedly implied me and her as a couple.

I got kind of nervous, and when I got nervous, she got nervous. And then I thought about it, and she said it was weird, so I agreed with her.

But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it wouldn't be too weird.

Not weird at all.

I took out a photo from the box. It was the photo Megan took for the cover of Cheetah Beat. Me and Ally were bungee jumping. When she was scared, and I offered to hold her hand, I was almost scared she would say no. I wanted to jump with her, and only her.

Brooke was a distraction. I knew I liked Ally, but didn't want to accept it.

I was afraid if she found out, she would leave me.

I can't risk her leaving me.

The next thing I pulled out was a kazoo. I laughed at the memory of Ally giving away the whole inventory of Sonic Boom to the kids. This was the only instrument left.

I can't believe Ally thought I would just leave her stranded like that. I would do anything for her.

Anything.

I probably wouldn't even get up at 7 on a Saturday for Kira.

There were only a couple things left in the box. I pulled out a kick me sign.

A pink kick me sign.

I shook my head at Ally's dorkiness. She thought getting good revenge on a person was sticking a kick me sign on their back. So, she did it to me, Dez, and Trish.

Actually, it worked pretty well. I got kicked like eight times that day before realizing it was on my back.

The sign in the box was the one that she put on me. I know because Dez and Trish's signs were yellow. Mine was the only pink one.

I was special.

I stood out to her.

I took out a mint from the box. It was one of the mints from Trish's box, from when we were trying to get Kira's breath from stinking. God, that breath was terrible. It gave me a nightmare. Seriously, being trapped on the Ferris wheel with Kira was the worst experience of my life.

Ally would never stop dead with that breath.

Why would I ever ask Kira out when I had Ally right in front of me?

Maybe she was another distraction?

I don't know.

I looked in the box one more time, and saw only one thing. There was a little envelope, so I picked it up and opened it. I took the slip of paper out of it and read it.

_To Ally,_

_There's no way I could make it without you._

_Love, Austin_

I smiled a tiny smile.

There's no way I could make it without you.

There's no way I could make it without her.

I could make it without Kira.

But not without Ally.

I flip the card over, and there was something in cursive handwriting.

Ally's handwriting.

_Could he make it without her?_

I blinked.

Her.

Kira.

Is Ally jealous of Kira?

My hands started to sweat, and my throat went dry.

Does Ally like me?

The door swings open and I look up to see Ally staring at her book. "Okay Austin. I have some ideas. Sorry for taking so long, there was just this customer who was being extremely annoy—" She looked up and saw me with all the items scattered everywhere. Her mouth dropped open, and she dropped her book to the floor.

"Austin… I… um…" she stuttered, looking at her feet. "Ally," I said, standing up. She looked up and locked eyes with me.

Beautiful brown eyes.

I walked over to her, and she looked up to me with confusion in her eyes. "Did you make that box?" I asked softly, trying not to squeak. She slowly nodded, looking down. I touched her chin, and she rose her head.

"I like you," I breathed, closing my eyes, afraid that she might not like me back.

When she didn't respond, I opened my eyes, preparing for the worst. But Ally was smiling shyly, looking up at me. "Really?" she asked, smiling a little wider. I nodded, my face flushing red.

Next thing I know, Ally grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me down, our lips clashing together.

Sparks flew.

We moved completely in sync, and she moaned into it. I wrapped my arms around her waist, and she brought her other hand up to my neck, playing with the ends of my hair. Our bodies pressed up against each other, and I slipped my tongue into her mouth.

She shivered, and I smiled into the kiss.

Suddenly, I felt light-headed, so I pulled away and took a big breath of air. She released her grip on my neck, but I kept my arms where they were, right around her waist.

"Hey," she said, smiling. I smiled back at her. "Hey," I said back.

We just stood there for a couple minutes, taking in each other, before she stepped back a little. She bit her lip and took a gold ring off her hand. She crossed over to where the box was, and started putting the items back. I went to help her, and when the last item was in, I reached over to put the lid on.

But she stopped me, and dropped the ring into the box.

"To mark today," she whispered. I smiled and put the lid on the box.

Our box.

**(A/N: Well, that's my little one-shot. I don't own anything. I am going to update Dead in her Tracks soon, I just really wanted to write this. I hope you liked it!**

**truecolors264 xoxo) **


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